Council To Consider Ethics Questions

The town council on Monday will consider a proposal to send an ethics question recently brought up by a resident to an independent party, rather than the board of ethics.

Jane Mansur, who is opposed to the proposed Dollar Tree distribution center project, at a recent town council meeting questioned several procedural moves related to the planning and zoning commission's approval of the project.

And in another matter, Mansur questioned whether Deputy Mayor Alan Simon acted properly when, in an e-mail, he encouraged residents involved in local and school baseball leagues to vote yes for the municipal budget because there was money budgeted for field improvements.

Mansur said Friday that Town Manager Peter Souza had answered some of her questions, but that the question about Simon's actions remained unanswered.

"I and other people in this town deserve an answer," she said. "Should a town council member have told people how to vote and what they would get out of it?"

Democratic Mayor Donald Trinks said Friday that he would not support sending the question to an independent party, saying the town should follow existing proecures.

"We should adhere to the process or we're not any better than the allegations being made," said Trinks, adding that the town council might as well dissolve the board of ethics if it was going to bypass it.

Republican Minority Leader Donald Jepsen said that he didn't believe the matter involving Simon would fall under the narrow purview of the board of ethics.

Mansur said she doesn't believe the Democrat-controlled town council will vote for the independent review, which has been sponsored by two Republican council members. But she said she favors it.

"I don't believe the town council will pass it, but if you have nothing to hide, you should clear your mind," she said. "They need to make sure they are doing their job correctly."